Anchovies and Black Olives at Locatelli’s

I heard so many raves from pizza lovers about Locatelli’s (13215 Grant Road, 832-717-3300) in Cypress that I finally went out there. It’s located in a shopping center at Louetta and Grant. There were lots of tables on the sidewalk and a big crowd gathered outside. The inside was small but charming. Admiring the high ceiling, old music posters and great beer selection, I remarked to my companions, “It looks like a pizza joint in upstate New York.” We asked the waiter where Locatelli’s owners hailed from. Surprise, surprise, part of the family came from upstate New York.

We got a pitcher of Blue Moon and a big family style salad to start off with. We couldn’t resist the special deal on two large pizzas with two toppings each for $17.

Looking over the ingredient list, I was disappointed that they didn’t offer sliced Italian sausage as a topping. So we got one with anchovies and black olives and one with mushrooms and garlic. The olives were canned, the mushrooms weren’t.

The crust was disappointing. It was fairly crispy, but it was very flat without any bready texture--no yeast bubbles either. The bottom had a zig zag pattern in it; I think it was cooked on a metal screen.

It wasn’t a bad pizza, it just didn’t live up to its rep. I would go back – if I lived in Cypress. – Robb Walsh